404 10 / MOTION IN A NONINERTIAL REFERENCE FRAME

Ifwe expand the integrand in Equation 10.39 by the same method used to
obtain Equation 10.40, we find
1 (6 de
t = w cos AJo {l + [2e/(l - e)]sin 2(f}/2)}2
and because e is small, we have
6
t = 1 ( ____d_e _ __
- w cos AJo [l + ee 2/2(1 - e)]2
Substituting for e/2(1 - e) from Equation 10.41 and writing t(e = e 0 ) T for
the total time of fall, we obtain

T = 1 (6º de
w cos A Jo [l + (hfJ2/Refi)]2
- 1
w cos A
(6º(1 - ~
Jo Ref¡
e2) de

= w c:s A ( 1 - !~)eo
Solving for e0 , we find
eo = 1wTcos A = wTcos A(l + 3R
- 2h/3R
2h)

During the time offall T, Earth turns through an angle wT, so the point on
Earth directly beneath the initial position of the particle moves toward the east
by an amount RwTcos A. During the same time, the particle is deflected toward
the east by an amount Re 0 • Thus, the net easterly deviation d is
d = Re 0 - RwTcos A
2
= 3 hwTcos A
and using T = V2hii: as in the preceding example, we have, finally,
d = 31 w cos A\jf8h3
g
which is identical with the result obtained previously (Equation 10.35).

llf.jijlQIMlllll
The effect of the Coriolis force on the motion of a pendulum produces a preces-
sion, or rotation with time of the plane of oscillation. Describe the motion of
this system, called a Foucault pendulum. *

*Devised in 1851 by the French physicist Jean-Bemard-Léon Foucault, pronounced F<>o-co

(1819-1868).
10.4 MOTION REIATIVE TO THE EARTH 405

Solution. To describe this effect, let us select a set of coordinate axes with ori-
gin at the equilibrium point ofthe pendulum and z-axis along the local vertical.
We are interested only in the rotation of the plane of oscillation-that is, we
wish to consider the motion ofthe pendulum bob in the »-y plane (the hori-
zontal plane). We therefore limit the motion to oscillations of small amplitude,
with the horizontal excursions small compared with the length of the pendu-
lum. Under this condition, zis small compared with x and yand can be neg-
lected.
The equation of motion is
T
ar = g + -m - 200 X V
r
(10.42)

where T /mis the acceleration produced by the force of tension T in the pendu-
lum suspension (Figure 10-11). We therefore have, approximately,
X
Tx = -T·-l

T
y
= -T·~l (10.43)

Tz= T
As befare,
gx = Ü

gy =o
gz = -g
and
wx = -w cos A
Wy = Ü
Wz = w sin A

z
Suspension point
at great height
\

~---1----~,---y

, ,,
,,
T X =-T·...!E...
l

X
mg
FIGURE 10-11 Geometry for the Foucault pendulum. The acceleration g vector is
along the -z-direction, and the tension T is separated into x-, y-,
and z-components.
406 10 / MOTION IN A NONINERTIAL REFERENCE FRAME

with

(v,)y = y
(v,). = z- O

Therefore,

ex ey e.
oo X v - -w cos A O w sin A
x y O

so that

(oo X v ,) x - -y w sin A }
(oo X v ,) Y - xw sin A (10.44)
( 00 X V,) z - -y w cos A
Thus, the equations of interest are

- -T · -x + 2yw
• sm
. A}
m l
(10.45)
-
T y
- •- -
2.XW Sln
. /\'
m l

For small displacements, T =mg. Defining a 2 = T/ml = g/~ and writing w. =

w sin A, we have

x + a 2x= 2wz.Y} (10.46)

y + a y =-2w.x
2

We note that thc equation for x contains a term in yand that the equation
for y contains a term in x. Such equations are called coupled equations. A solu-
tion for this pair of coupled equations can be effected by adding the first of the
above equations to i times the second:

(x + iy) + a 2 (x + iy) = -2w.(ix- y) = -2iw.(x+ iy)

Ifwe write

q :=::=X+ iy
we then have

q + 2iw.q + a 2 q =O
This equation is identical with the equation that describes damped oscillations
(Equation 3.35), except that here the term corresponding to the damping factor
10.4 MOTION RELATIVE TO THE EARTH 407

is purely imaginary. The solution (see Equation 3.37) is

q(t) = exp[-iwzt1[ A exp(Y -w~ - a 2 t) + B exp( -Y-w~ - a 2 t)] (10.47)
IfEarth were not rotating, so that Wz = O, then the equation for qwould
become
q' + a 2 q' = O, W2 = Ü

from which it is seen that a corresponds to the oscillation frequency of the pen-
dulum. This frequency is clearly much greater than the angular frequency of
Earth's rotation. Therefore, a>> w,, and the equation for q(t) becomes
(10.48)
We can interpret this equation more easily ifwe note that the equation for
q' has the solution
q' (t) = x' (t) + iy' (t) = Aeiat + Be-iat
Thus,
q(t) = q'(t). e-iwzl
or
x(t) + iy(t) [(x'(t) + iy'(t)] • e-iwzt
(x' + iy') ( COS Wzt - i sin Wzt)
(x' COS Wzt + y' sin Wzt) + i(-x' sin Wzt + y' COS Wzt)
Equating real and imaginary parts,
x(t) = x' cos wzt + y' sin w,t }
y(t) = -x' sin Wzt +y' COS Wzt
We can write these equations in matrix form as

x(t)) = ( c~s wzt sin Wzt) ( x' (t)) (10.49)

( y(t) - sm wzt COS Wzt y' (t)

from which (x, y) may be obtained from ( x', y') by the application of a rotation
matrix of the familiar form

A= (
cos (J sin
-sin O cos (J
º) (10.50)

Thus, the angle of rotation is (J = w zt, and the plane of oscillation of the pendu-
lum therefore rotates with a frequency w z = w sin A. The observation of this ro-
tation gives a clear demonstration of the rotation of Earth. *

*Vincenzo Viviani (1622-1703), a pupil of Galileo, had noticed as early as about 1650 that a pendu-
lum undergoes a slow rotation, but there is no evidence that he correctly interpreted the phenome-
non. Foucault's invention of the gyroscope in the year following the demonstration of his pendulum
provided even more striking visual proof of Earth's rotation.